St. Joseph City Commission Sends CVS Proposal Back To Planning Commission

Michael Arney Reporting

Five months after developers first floated the idea of building a CVS pharmacy at Niles and Napier in St. Joseph, and there is still no decision on the project. The St. Joseph City Commission voted last night to send the Planned Unit Development application back to the Planning Commission due to new information that came out from the Michigan Department of Transportation regarding extending Napier.

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That's City Manager Richard Lewis laying out the new details that came to light this month from MDOT. Monday night's meeting was marred by disruptions by a couple who have been active in the discussions with the city commission and planning commission for several months. Commissioner Jeff Richards and city resident David Snyder got into a heated discussion that led to a brief recess to allow cooler heads to prevail, prompting this from Mayor Mike Garey after the meeting resumed.

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Developers noted their new brick and limestone design is based on area landmarks like the Whitcomb and Lake Michigan Credit Union, and it was well received by most at Monday night's meeting. The main sticking point for the opposition group from Myrtle Avenue, led by Rick Stobbelaar, is now the size of the building itself. He referenced other times that CVS has cut back on the size of their building in order to locate in certain communities.

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Developer Eric Harvey had this message for the city commission about getting off to a rocky start with the community.

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The Planning Commission will have to hold a new public hearing, focused only on the Napier extension as a private drive, in order for the project to move forward. That will now be included in the Planned Unit Development